The two had already discussed it on the road, they could not tell their family about the child being poisoned.
The family only knew that this was a child found on the road, and persuading them to adopt someone with the ominous trait of six toes had been quite difficult.
If they were to know at this time that someone wanted the child dead, or that someone was after the child’s life,
even the kindest of people would probably not accept it, because it ultimately concerned their own personal safety.
Yang Ming and Xiaoxiao decided that they would set off for Medicine King Valley early the next morning. If the child was lucky enough to be saved, they would bring him back; if he unfortunately died, they would tell the family that they had lost him outside.
The pair quickly arrived home and as soon as they entered the yard, Yang Ming’s mother came to greet them.
"Third son, what did the doctor say? Is the child alright?"
Yang Ming tried his best to control any strangeness in his demeanor and replied, "Mother, the child is fine, just like we said, he might have eaten poorly, or too much."
Yang Ming’s mother said with a laugh, "I told you, all of you vomited when you were little, and you all got through it, didn’t you? Now that you’ve seen the doctor, you feel relieved, don’t you?"
Xiaoxiao also tried to restrain her despondency so as not to let her mother-in-law notice, and she nodded, "Yes, relieved."
Afterward, the two of them took the child back to their room and got busy.
Because they were taking the child on the road, they needed to prepare luggage. A child’s belongings were much more voluminous than an adult’s.
The child’s blankets, pillows, spare clothes, diapers, a bowl for drinking milk, a basin for bathing, and so on and so forth.
It was practically moving house, and after packing both large and small bags, Xiaoxiao went to prepare dry food.
She made quite a few snacks for the road, food that would last several days. The journey to Beijing was longer, and the condition of the road was unknown, so it was better to be safe than sorry. It was just the two of them, with a child in tow; they truly didn’t have the luxury of time to go hunting for food in the mountains.
During dinner, Yang Ming spoke up, "Father, Mother, has Big Brother told you about the Xuntian Escort Agency matter already?"
"Yes," Yang’s father nodded, the third son had stirred up trouble with the Escort Agency in his search for Yang Xia, and they had been informed by the eldest when he returned from Lin County.
"I plan to expand over to Beijing and want to go there to check out the situation. I’ll set out tomorrow."
"So soon?" Not only was Yang’s father surprised, the whole family thought it too quick, "Your sister is about to return to her husband’s home, couldn’t you wait?"
At that moment, Xiaoxiao joined the conversation, "Father, the news of my sister’s wedding came so suddenly, I left behind a mess at the Grand Theater in Lin County and rushed back. Anyway, Yang Ming and I have already seen my sister yesterday, so we won’t wait for them to return, we’ll first go to Lin County, then head over to Beijing."
"Third son’s wife, you’re going too?"
"Yes, I have never been to Beijing, and now I have the chance, I might as well go see it. We don’t know how long we might stay, so we plan to take the child along."
Upon hearing this, Yang’s father frowned, "The two of you going is well enough, why take such a small child running around? Leave him at home for Xiaoqiu to watch over."
"Father, we’d rather take care of the child ourselves. We will be gone for a long time and will miss him," said Yang Ming.
The family could not argue with the couple and thus agreed. Afterwards, Xiaoxiao did not forget to entrust the fishpond to their care, suggesting that by the time they returned, the fish might be ready to eat.
The next day, Yang Ming and Xiaoxiao set off with their large and small bags. Since the child needed milk, they had to use a milk cow to pull the cart. This was also the reason they were eager to leave, as the cow-pulled cart was very slow.